BOYLES LAW:  When the temperature is kept constant, the volume of a gas is inversely proportional to the pressure upon it. CHARLES LAW:  When the external pressure is kept constant, the volume of a gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature. … HomeRead More »

Every day of the year, billions of cubic feet of gas are stored, transported, and used without any problems or mishaps. This results from a conscientious, solid – effort toward safety within the gas industry. Even with this effort, from time to time, something goes wrong; either mechanical or human error occurs. When this happens, a hazard to man and his environment may evolve. Because of the...

I got this document when I attended a National Fire Academy HAZMAT course in 1993.  I came across it when looking for some old HAZMAT material for a new course I am developing and translated and cleaned up some of the language.  It does an EXCELLENT job explaining the phenomenon we know as BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion)   Crescent City, Illinois, propane explosion occurred...

This picture has caused quite the debate in the SAFTENG circle! Many comments in the SAFTENG LI and FB groups point towards the worker(s), which indicates the belief that this is an “Active Failure” of the worker(s) involved. Many of you would NOT believe the tales I could tell about what I have encountered in my travels in 20+ years of consulting.  In the vast majority of these situations,...

OSHA states the following about our non-entry rescue devices… The mechanical device used for emergency rescue must be designed and rated for human use. The standard specifies in paragraph 1910.146(k)(3)(ii) that the retrieval equipment must be designed for personnel. The performance-oriented nature of the standard allows flexibility as to the design specifications of the retrieval equipment itself....

The Dirty Dozen highlights the most frequently observed human-related issues discovered during Fiscal Year 2022 agency mishaps and close-call investigations. Throughout the year, these issues contributed to $3,310,298.74 in damage costs and 630 workdays of lost time. … HomeRead More »

In Reason’s Swiss Cheese model, there are four “slices “or tiers of human error potential, divided into two sections: an “active” layer and “Latent Factors”: preconditions, Supervision, and Organization. The goal of the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) is to understand human factors throughout the system rather than stopping at the operator. Most mishaps can be connected...

This is a reminder that if your ERP or Environmental Management System (EMS) has not been updated to reflect these “NEWER” CSB reporting requirements, the facility should consider updating these programs/processes and including the reporting requirements in EHS training. Also, line 9.8 of your RMP should list 40 CFR 1604 – Accidental Release Reporting. The U.S. Chemical Safety and...

This is just an FYI to my Cl2 clients. Although the changes are NOT significant (0.1 – 0.3 miles), they are indeed changes to the Downwind Protective Action Distances. If you have used the 2020 ERG Distances in your Pre-Plans, which you or I did for your Emergency Response Plan (ERP), it may be beneficial to update them. REDUCED distances are highlighted … HomeRead More »

This is just an FYI to my NH3 clients. Although the changes are NOT significant (0.1 – 0.2 miles), they are indeed changes to the Downwind Protective Action Distances. If you have used the 2020 ERG Distances in your Pre-Plans that you or I did for your Emergency Response Plan (ERP), it may be beneficial to update these pre-plans/ERP. REDUCED distances are highlighted … HomeRead More...

One of the many changes to the 2024 ERG, includes considerations for lithium battery and electric vehicle (EV) fires fire control.  NOTE: the print editions are NOT yet available, but we can download the app (CLICK HERE)   Water spray cools batteries and helps suppress and slow the release of toxic gases but does not stop the chemical reaction (thermal runaway). Other extinguishing agents...

The Respondent formerly operated an ammonia refrigeration process at a distribution center and warehouse, which maintained a maximum inventory of the regulated toxic substance anhydrous ammonia at the Facility, which exceeds the threshold quantity of 10,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia as set forth in Table 1 at 40 C.F.R. § 68.130 and, therefore, has had a regulated substance present in more than a...